With the preseason coming to a close, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ injuries, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, could influence the 53-man roster.
The Jaguars will play their final preseason game on Saturday against the Miami Dolphins. Jacksonville’s starters are mostly healthy, but some of the rotational players are less than 100 percent.
The Jaguars have already dropped one player due to injury on the defensive line. They reportedly released 27-year-old Henry Mondeaux on Tuesday from the injured reserve with a settlement.
He was set to handle second-team nose tackle duties behind DaVon Hamilton before he suffered an undisclosed injury — presumably during Jacksonville’s first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hamilton is also out of action while he deals with a “non-football related medical issue” that’ll keep him out Saturday. Head coach Doug Pederson said Hamilton is “doing extremely well” and could be back in the building as early as next week, but it’s unclear when he’ll return to the field.
While Pederson spoke positively about Hamilton’s recovery, if the tackle is out for an extended period, other players could sneak into the 53-man roster. Seventh-round pick Raymond Vohasek may be in position to play himself into a roster spot with a strong performance Saturday.
The offensive line has also faced issues staying healthy. Another seventh-round rookie, Cooper Hodges, suffered a patella injury, which Pederson said will cause him “to miss a little time.” He said Hodges won’t need surgery, but a spot on the injured reserve could be a real possibility.
Veteran tackle Josh Wells is also set to miss time. Pederson didn’t have a timetable for return for the offensive lineman, but said he’ll miss some time, as well.
Wells’ injury could have an impact on the offensive line rotation. Blake Hance is currently the most likely winner of the swing tackle position, but Wells could be in the conversation, if healthy. Pederson recognized the unfortunate timing of the team’s offensive and defensive line injuries.
“If these injuries were going to happen, you’d love for them to be at the beginning of camp, and now they’re getting healthy,” Pederson said.
Wells and Hodges could be candidates for the physically unable to perform list or injured reserve, which would provide an opening for someone else on the roster.
Pederson also acknowledged the waiver wire as a possible resolution to the team’s injury troubles.
“That all factors into this, so we’ll take a look at it and see if someone is available to help you out whether it’s short-term or long-term,” he said.
After the Jaguars’ final preseason game on Saturday, the roster will need to be cut down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon.
